You need to read the whole article online. It's too long to post in full. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/18/the-new-tax-man-big-banks_n_766169.html By Fred Schulte and Ben Protess Huffington Post Investigative Fund Interactive StoryPowered by StoryRiver Media Nearly a dozen major banks and hedge funds, anticipating quick profits from homeowners who fall behind on property taxes, are quietly plowing hundreds of millions of dollars into businesses that collect the debts, tack on escalating fees and threaten to foreclose on the homes of those who fail to pay. The Wall Street investors, which include Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase & Co., have purchased from local governments the right to collect delinquent taxes on several hundred thousand properties, many in distressed housing markets, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund has found. In many cases, the banks and hedge funds created new companies to do their bidding. They gave the companies obscure, even whimsical names and used post office boxes as their addresses, masking Wall Street's dominant new role as a surrogate tax collector. In exchange for paying overdue real estate taxes, the investors gain legal powers from local governments to collect the debt and levy fees. At first, property owners may owe little more than a few hundred dollars, only to find their bills soaring into the thousands. In some jurisdictions, the new Wall Street tax collectors also chase debtors over other small bills, such as for water, sewer and sidewalk repair. Some states allow the investors to tack on as much as 18 percent interest and a passel of legal fees and other charges. When property owners fail to make full payment, the investors can sue to foreclose - in some states within as little as six months. ...

$10K is for a CTR, or Currency Transaction Report. An SAR, or Suspicious Activity Report, can be filed for ANY amount of money or ANY activity. Those are going to depend upon how well one bank versus another trains it's front line tellers to look for suspicious activity.

While I'm neither a lawyer nor a police officer, I've signed the signature line on a traffic citation a time or two. It is my understanding, the law varies from state to state on this issue. In some states, the vehicle code says if you don't sign the ticket then you go to jail. I recall an episode of "Adam 12" where an old woman refused to sign a ticket and Malloy took her to jail. It's my understanding that is the law in California, then and now. In other states, you're not required to sign, and the officer might actually even be able to write an additional citation because you failed to sign. Still in other states, the officer has the discretion to decide whether to arrest one for refusal to sign because the officer has probable cause you are intending not to comply with the order, or the officer can decide to write "Refused To Sign" because the officer believes you're just being a PITA but will comply with the order.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20008347-10391704.html A South African doctor has created a female condom that puts teeth in the fight against rape. Literally. The anti-rape condom, called "Rape-aXe," features rows of jagged hooks designed to attach to a man's penis during penetration. Once attached, the condom can only be removed by a doctor - hopefully when authorities can arrest him, Dr. Sonnet Ehlers, the condom's designer, told CNN. "It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it's on," she said. "If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter... however, it doesn't break the skin, and there's no danger of fluid exposure." Ehlers said she sold her house and car to launch the project, and she planned to supervise the distribution of 30,000 free devices in cities hosting the World Cup soccer matches. After the trial period, they'll be available for about $2 apiece, according to CNN. "The mother of two daughters said she visited prisons and talked to convicted rapists to find out whether such a device would have made them rethink their actions," CNN reported. "Some said it would have." Critics say the condom makes women vulnerable to violence from men trapped by the device. It's also a form of "enslavement," Victoria Kajja, a fellow for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the east African country of Uganda, told CNN. "The fears surrounding the victim, the act of wearing the condom in anticipation of being assaulted all represent enslavement that no woman should be subjected to." Kajja added that the device reminds women of their vulnerability. "It not only presents the victim with a false sense of security, but psychological trauma," she added. "It also does not help with the psychological problems that manifest after assaults." But she acknowledged that the device might allow justice to be served. Rape convictions are rare in most African countries, according to CNN. Victims don't get immediate access to medical care, and DNA tests to provide evidence are too expensive. Women take drastic measures to prevent rape in South Africa, Ehlers said. Some go so far as to insert razor blades wrapped in sponges in their private parts. Critics have said the device is like something out of the Middle Ages. "Yes, my device may be medieval, but it's for a medieval deed that has been around for decades," she told CNN. "I believe something's got to be done ... and this will make some men rethink before they assault a woman."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704569204575329130754875618.html The landmark financial-markets legislation expected to be signed into law next week was intended mainly to reduce systemic risk and increase regulation at the corporate level, but it will also alter many aspects of financial life for consumers and individual investors. Consumer advocates publicly hailed the creation of a watchdog agency intended to monitor the safety of financial products for consumers, while privately expressing concern that many areas remain insufficiently regulated. ... Consumer-protection agency. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, part of the Federal Reserve, will oversee a broad range of retail financial products, including checking accounts, private student loans and mortgages. Auto dealers are exempt from the agency's oversight. ... Deposit insurance. The temporary increases in coverage put in place by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. during the financial crisis will become permanent. Henceforth, up to $250,000 in qualified deposits will be insured. Mortgages. Lenders now must verify a borrower's ability to repay before any mortgage loan is made. The bill also stamps out prepayment penalties. Brokers will be prevented from receiving bonuses for steering borrowers toward riskier loans. A $1 billion emergency loan fund will be established to help keep people in their homes. Credit scores. Consumers will get a free credit score when they are denied a credit card or receive a poor mortgage rate. The FICO score, calculated by FICO, formerly known as Fair Isaac Corp., is likely to be the measure that most consumers will see, said Adam Levin, chairman and co-founder of Credit.com. Credit and debit cards. Retailers can now offer discounts based on different kinds of payment methods—say, lower prices for using cash rather than a debit or credit card. But they can't offer discounts across brands—by distinguishing between Mastercard and Visa cards, for instance. Merchants can refuse to take credit cards for purchases of $10 or under. Investment advice. The new bill instructs the Securities and Exchange Commission to study whether a "fiduciary" standard—requiring stockbrokers, financial planners and insurance agents to put their clients' interests first—is appropriate. Also subject to further SEC study is the question of whether investors should be freer to initiate proposals to be voted upon at companies' annual shareholder meetings. ...